


A Bench, A Basement, a Tattoo parlor, a Stage, and The Seeds of Revolution.

by jannika



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-21
Updated: 2012-04-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 17:18:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jannika/pseuds/jannika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School AU. In which Liam joins a band, makes friends, gets a boyfriend, and becomes some sort of revolutionary, all in a month's time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bench, A Basement, a Tattoo parlor, a Stage, and The Seeds of Revolution.

**Author's Note:**

> These boys have everything I love in a fandom. Feelings and faces and lots of touching each other. I'm a sucker for all of that. With thanks to [](http://folkloric-feel.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://folkloric-feel.livejournal.com/)**folkloric_feel** , who is the Liam to my Zayn. You know, if we were teenage boys in a boyband.

Liam is pretty sure he doesn't actually look any different on this Monday morning than he did on Friday afternoon. He trimmed his hair on Friday night, and he sat in the sun a little while he studied on Saturday, and he just bought the shirt he has on yesterday, but when he'd looked in the mirror this morning he'd seen the same guy as every other morning of his life. Which is why it's so unexplainable that he's mistaken for a new kid in the middle of third period. He's just finished singing in front of the class in Mixed Grade Men's choir- they're all taking turns presenting a one-minute number, mostly to kill time before the end of the year concert and keep the class from turning into a Study Hall- when he is ambushed, actually ambushed, before he can even sit back down properly.

"Hey," Louis Tomlinson says, sitting down and slinging an arm around him, "I like your voice. Are you new?"

Liam blinks.

"I'm- thanks?" He says, totally lost. He wants to ask if this is a joke, but Louis and his friends look completely serious, like they have actually never seen him before, like they haven't all been going to school together since the sixth grade. Well, Louis is a senior, but they've all been in this class together all year, and he has had multiple classes with all the rest of them. They're all looking at Liam and pulling chairs up around him, awfully far into his personal space for people who think he's a stranger.

"What's your name?" Louis asks, still apparently completely serious, and still touching Liam, too, which is just as weird. Louis is running fingers all over Liam's shoulder's and staring at him intently.

"Liam?" Liam says.

"My cousin's girlfriend's brother's name is Liam!" The blond one, Niall, says.

"It's a good name, I like it," Louis says, and his fingers actually brush Liam's neck a little, hitting his skin above his shirt collar. Liam is certain he blushes.

"Thanks?" Liam says again.

"Do you want to be in a band, Liam-the-new-kid?" Louis asks.

"What?" Liam asks.

"Us. We're a band. I like your voice. You should be in our band," Louis says, and this time his fingers actually creep up into Liam's hair. From the corner of his eye Liam catches Zayn- who he has English with- looking at him almost apologetically- for the groping, Liam assumes. He'd known they were a band, actually, mostly because Louis is just one of those kids that whole school is very aware of, even if they're not friends with him.

"Wait," Harry- who has curly hair and big eyes and is in his biology class- interjects.

"Wait what?" Louis says, at the same moment Mr. Kirk clears his throat from the front of the room, clearly attempting to get their attention and quiet them. Louis holds up his hand in a 'wait just a minute' gesture- something Liam has never seen anyone attempt to do to a teacher before.

"You can't just put someone in the band," Harry says, then he looks at Liam and adds, "no offense or anything."

"I like Liam and I like his voice and I think he should be in the band," Louis says, and there go his fingers all over Liam's skin again.

"But we don't even know if he can play an instrument or anything," Harry protests.

"Can you play an instrument, Liam?" Louis asks. Liam swallows.

"I play the piano a little," He says. He should really, really probably say something else. He should probably tell them he's not new, or that he's not the band type, or that he's hasn't actually agreed to anything yet, but he's too busy trying not to squirm under Louis' touches.

"See that? He plays the piano," Louis says.

"We don't have anyone on keyboard," Niall puts in. Louis beams at him and puts his hand that's not on Liam's neck on Niall's knee.

"Niall is on my side," He says, looking at Harry pointedly.

"But we should probably hear him play first," Harry says, crossing his arms.

"Boys!" Mr. Kirk interjects.

"Hang on, we're almost done here," Louis says, looking up and putting on what must be his most charming smile before turning back to the rest of them, "So we'll have him audition. I have that keyboard just sitting in the garage. You're not busy after school, right?" He asks.

"No," Liam says.

"Then it's settled," Louis says. He takes his hands of Liam and Niall then, and arranges himself in his seat to face the front of the room. Mr. Kirk seems to take that as the signal to proceed with class, and he gestures to Martin, who looks like he wishes they'd talked longer and misses every note in his song.

Liam has no idea what just happened.

**

That afternoon they flag him down in the parking lot and usher him to what must be Louis' car, and he finds himself in the back in between Niall and Zayn, still trying to think of a way to protest all of this. He tries to think of ways as they drive, tries to think of some way to say that really he'll just catch the bus home and go do his math homework- except that Niall is offering him Pringles like they've been friends for years and Zayn is still looking at him in that apologetic sort of way and Harry and Louis are singing along to the radio and they have Liam's favorite station on and all the reasons he has to not go along with it just don't seem very important.

They pull into a driveway that's only a few blocks from Liam's own. Somehow that seems strange to him- not that he'd spent a lot of time thinking about where Louis must live before this, but he wouldn't have put him in his own neighborhood, on a street that looks like every other street in this part of town. They pile out and Louis puts a hand on the small of Liam's back and guides him into the garage.

"Welcome to our studio," He says, gesturing around the garage with his free hand, it's got a drum set and some microphones and an assortment of old furniture with guitar cases thrown on them. The other guys head in and towards instruments and Liam realizes that he's actually weirdly curious about what they all play and do in the band. He's never seen them play, he doesn't go to the sort of parties they play at, or to many parties at all, really. He assumes Louis is lead guitar and probably vocals, but he has no idea where to place the rest of them.

Sure enough, when Louis takes his hand away he walks over to a beat up case and lovingly pulls out a guitar. Harry seats himself at the drums, Zayn's got a bass, and Niall's got another guitar.

"Should we play him a song first?" Niall asks. Everyone sort of nods at that, and then starts tuning and humming to themselves. Liam isn't really sure what to do with himself. He doesn't want to sit without being asked, so he just leans against a wall and listens.

"Ready?" Louis asks after a few minutes. They all nod again, and then launch into what must be their signature song. Or possibly their only song. Liam has no idea. Either way they're better than he thought they'd be. More serious, more intense, better as a group.

"That one is our favorite," Harry says when they're done.

"It's good. You're good," Liam says, then he feels foolish because he's auditioning, not them. (Not that he'd asked to audition or anything, but still.)

"We are," Louis agrees, "and now-" he says, then takes his guitar off and leans it against a nearby recliner. He walks to a corner of the garage and starts digging in things, pulling a dusty keyboard out a minute later, "Someone come help me with this!" He calls. Harry heads over and the two of them pull the keyboard and stand out and bring it over. They drag a chair behind it once it's set up, and then turn to look expectantly at Liam.

"Oh," He says. He walks over, suddenly feeling again like he should protest and tell them this is a really bad idea, but then Louis is touching him again, and it's really, really hard to say no with Louis' hands on him, rubbing his shoulders.

"What should I play?" He asks instead.

"Anything, just so we know you can," Louis says. Liam sits, and the rest of them move so they're all facing him, watching him. He swallows. God, this is a terrible, terrible idea. He has no place in a band like this, hanging out with guys like this, being touched by a guy like Louis. He seriously considers just getting up and jogging the few blocks to his own house, but then he decides he doesn't always want to be that guy that ran out on them. That's even worse than being that guy that played terribly. So he swallows again and starts to play, singing to himself as he does, and after a minute he's lost in the song and the feeling of their eyes on him is replaced by the feeling of his fingers on the keyboard.

"Whoa," Niall says when he's finished, and Liam looks up to see all of them, even Harry, looking really impressed. Louis is beaming and bouncing on his heels.

"What song was that?" Harry asks.

"I- I wrote it," Liam says, blushing again.

"How is writing your own songs the same as playing the piano 'a little'?" Harry asks.

"I don't usually play for other people," Liam says. Louis looks beside himself with joy. Just absolutely beside himself.

"I told you!" Louis says, "I told you! He's perfect! I know talent when I see it!"

"He's really good," Harry says.

"Ha! And you doubted me!" Louis says, launching himself at Harry and knocking them both off the old couch they'd been sitting on and on to the floor where they roll around, wrestling and yelling things Liam can't quite make out. Niall laughs and throws pillows at them and once again Liam has no idea what to do or say at all.

He's saved from having to do or say anything by a hand on his shoulder.

"Need some air?" Zayn asks. Liam leaps up and follows him outside without even thinking about it. Zayn walks to the side of the garage where a bench with an ashtray on it is waiting.

"You ok?" Zayn asks, sitting down and lighting up a cigarette. Liam wonders if the bench is here just for Zayn. "You looked a little scared."

"I'm ok," Liam says, glad to be sitting.

"You want one?" Zayn offers.

"No thanks," Liam says.

"I figured. You're a healthy kind of guy."

"What?" Liam asks, lost again.

"I've seen your lunch trays, fruit and salads and junk. You don't seem like the smoking type," Zayn says, shrugging.

"But. I thought. My lunch trays?" Liam gets out, wondering if maybe this isn't all a joke after all. Zayn grins.

"Just because Louis doesn't notice people until he decides he wants to doesn't mean I've never noticed you," Zayn says.

"You knew?" Liam asks, feeling even squirmier than he had under Louis' fingers earlier.

"It's best not to get in Louis' way when he gets an idea like that in his head." Zayn says. He takes a long drag of his cigarette and then glances at Liam again, "He's harmless though, really."

"Okay," Liam says.

"Do you want to be in the band?" Zayn asks. This is it. This is Liam's big chance to back out.

"Yeah, I think I do," He says. Which is not backing out at all. It is the opposite of backing out, but it's the truth the minute Liam says it.

"Good."

They sit in silence for the rest of Zayn's cigarette, but it's a good silence, the kind that lets Liam process the day he's just had.

"Ready?" Zayn asks as he puts out his cigarette. Liam nods and they walk back around the corner and into the garage door. Niall is standing by the door at a mini fridge Liam hadn't noticed before making himself a sandwich and Louis and Harry are. They. Oh.

Louis and Harry have gone from rolling on the floor wrestling to making out.

Which.

Oh.

Liam did not think his day could possibly contain anymore surprises, but this literally stops him in his tracks. He supposes that when he thinks about it, it shouldn't really shock him at all. He's heard rumors, and there is the way Louis seems to touch anyone. So maybe none of them would have minded if he'd let on how squirmy Louis' hands had made him. Then again, maybe Harry would have more than minded, considering the way his leg is currently around Louis' waist. He closes his eyes a little, and then there is that hand on his shoulder again. Zayn.

"Welcome to One Direction," He says.

**

That night at home Liam pulls up cell phone videos of them performing at parties on youtube. He's struck again by how serious they are, by how much they seem to love performing. The sound quality is terrible and the picture is grainy, but the effect is the same.

Liam has no idea what he's gotten himself into.

**

"How long have you been writing songs?" Harry asks in Biology the next morning, sliding into the seat next to Liam as if they've always sat next to each other. He wonders if Harry, like Zayn, had known all along, and if he knows that the kid who normally sits next to Liam is sick nine days out of ten making him comfortable taking his seat.

"Um. Seventh grade or so?" Liam says, deciding that it's equally possible that Harry just doesn't care whose seat it normally is.

"Impressive," Harry says.

"Thanks,"

"You really are good. Have you ever been in a band?"

"No. I've never really played them for anyone but you guys," Liam admits.

"Should we be flattered?" Harry asks, a little bit smirky and almost a shade flirty.

"You guys are really good. I watched you on youtube last night," Liam says.

"Good. And now you're one of us."

"Can I ask you something?" Liam asks, feeling bold.

"Is it about my hair?" Harry asks, running a hand through his curls and grinning. Liam grins back, and the looks around to make sure no one is paying attention to their conversation.

"I was just wondering about you. And Louis." Liam says. He tries not to wince as he says it, because he already really likes Harry and he doesn't want the guy to hate him or anything. Harry raises his eyebrows.

"What about us?" He asks, a note of something challenging in his voice like his guard is suddenly raised as high as his eyebrows. Shit.

"Are you like, an official…thing?" Liam asks, lowering his voice and trying to use the safest words possible.

"Why?" Harry asks, crossing his arms, "because if that bothers you then I take back all the nice things I've been thinking about you and I-"

"No!" Liam cuts him off, "God, no. It's not. No. I. No. I. Me too," he finishes, his voice a harsh whisper. Harry's eyebrows shoot up again, and then they relax and then his arms do too and he chuckles, low and real.

"You're even more perfect than Louis thought," Harry says, "and yes, by the way. We are."

"What?" Liam asks, grateful that Harry knew what he meant but a little confused by his reaction.

"He's going to be so excited about this," Harry says.

"I. What?"

"Well, we're not sure about Niall, I mean, Niall isn't sure about Niall, I don't think, but whatever. You're perfect." Harry says.

"Zayn?" Liam asks, trying to process.

"Technically Zayn is 'open'," Harry says, making air quotes around open and rolling his eyes a little, "But yes."

"Oh," Liam says.

"Louis is never going to stop gloating about finding you now," Harry says. The late bell rings then and they have to cut their conversation off and pretend to learn things. Liam really hopes they're not talking about anything important, because all he can do is watch Harry rolling his pencil around in his fingers and wonder what exactly 'open' means.

**

They're waiting for him in the parking lot again after school that day, and this time Liam spends the whole car ride trying to notice as much as he can. He watches how Zayn always seems to be thinking something, and how sometimes Harry's fingers graze Louis' arm as he drives, and how glad Niall seems to be there, how sure he seems to be that this is exactly where he fits in the world.

He spends practice watching too, watching and learning their songs and trying not to be awkward. He spends all week watching them, these people who seem determined to be friends with him. He thinks his handle on them is better by the end of the week. He hopes, anyway.

Louis touches everyone all the time, he's got a filthy mouth and quick sense of humor and he's the single most confident person Liam has ever known. Harry is intense about music and when Liam watches him he totally gets the whole drum thing because Harry never stops moving, he's always doing these things with his fingers, always touching things and people, and his drumming has the same energy, restless and young and magnetic. Harry and Louis make out a lot, it turns out, and they don't seem to care if the rest of them are watching. Niall eats more than anyone Liam has ever seen, he eats and he laughs and he keeps telling Liam that it's okay to relax around them, that they're all friends now, and Niall, it seems, does not change his mind once he's decided to be friends with someone. Or when Louis has decided. Whatever.

Zayn is. Liam doesn't know. He honestly doesn't know. He tries watching Zayn in English too, and all he's learned is that Zayn is a surprisingly good student. He can't quite piece Zayn together in his mind yet, although he's certain that whatever Zayn is, it's really, really good.

On Thursday, when he's invited out for air again, when they're sitting on the bench not really talking, Liam decides that his favorite thing about Zayn is that he smokes so he can breathe.

**

On Friday he goes to Louis' car without being led there, and he actually beats everyone but Louis to the parking lot. Louis grins when he sees him.

"You're learning," He says.

"It's better than the bus," Liam says, allowing himself to grin and shrug a little, to joke.

"Smirky. I like that," Louis says. "Did we tell you today is a special practice?"

"Special?" Liam asks.

"The all night kind," Louis says, drawing out 'night' as sexually as he possibly can. "You don't have anywhere else to be right? You can stay?" He asks.

"I"ll have to text my mom, but she won't care," Liam says.

"Excellent," Louis says.

**

That night they sit in Louis' basement, and he grins at them in a way that makes Liam a little nervous. They're spread out on the floor, empty pizza boxes discarded behind them, and Liam is struck by the idea that they're probably not going to watch some movies and go to bed.

"So, Liam," Louis starts, "a curly haired little bird told me something very interesting the other day." Liam stares at his own feet and tries to remind himself that these people are his friends now.

"Louis," Zayn says, something a little bit like warning in his voice.

"What?" Louis asks.

"Don't scare him," Zayn says.

"What do you mean scare him? It's not like he's joined the band of young-no fun-close minded-boring-straight-judgey people," Louis says.

"Yeah, but we're not all you, Louis, and I don't really want Liam to hate us," Zayn says. Louis is looking at Zayn like he's totally lost his mind, and Liam feels a rush of gratitude.

"No. It's okay," He says, "I mean. I've just never had friends who knew before. I'm not used to it. But it's okay," he says.

"Awww," Louis coos, "he called us his friends! He likes us!"

"Of course we're his friends," Niall says as both Harry and Zayn just beam at him.

"Not that I had horrible friends before or anything," Liam says, talking mostly to cover up the overwhelmed thing he's currently feeling, some combination of mortified and really happy that he's not sure what to do with. "I just. I didn't really have that many friends at all. I had acquaintances, mostly. I mean, when I was little, but not really recently."

"He's adorable. I told you we had to keep him," Louis says, "You're adorable, Liam. Adorable. And very sexy. You're also stuck with us. And there is no room in this band for shame or self-hate or anything like that, okay? That's no fun and I don't like it."

"Okay," Liam agrees, nodding.

"Now. What do you label yourself as, exactly?" Louis asks, leaning in, "Don't look at me like that, Zayn, I'm not pressuring him, I just like to know things about my friends."

"I'm gay," Liam says, surprised at how easy it slips out, weirdly proud of himself.

"Excellent," Louis says, "that's fantastic."

"I told you he'd be excited," Harry says.

Liam doesn't try and keep down the overwhelmed thing now, he just kind of lets it wash over him, and then the conversation turns away from him, and onto the band and the things they can do and how they haven't booked a gig in awhile and about being famous one day and Liam gets all caught up in it. A week ago he was sitting home, new haircut and no plans, and now he's staying up till four in the morning discussing impossible dreams with friends.

He doesn't know what the past week has done to his life, but he's sure he can never go back.

**  
The following Wednesday, Zayn slides up to Liam at his locker after lunch.

"What do you have next?" He asks, grinning.

"Gym," Liam responds, not trying to hide the groan in his voice. Zayn smiles wider.

"I have a study hall, and then you heard we're just watching a movie in English, right?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna skip out and go somewhere with me?" Zayn asks. Liam has never skipped a single class in his entire life, he never thought of himself as the skipping type, but he never thought of himself as the band type either, and he suddenly, desperately, wants to be part of whatever Zayn's doing this afternoon.

"Yes," He says.

"Really?" Zayn asks.

"Let's go," Liam says. He's not sure how skipping works really, but he's pretty sure that if they're going to make a break for it they have to do it soon. Zayn nods and leads Liam down the hall and out the side door and then they're walking down the sidewalk and away from campus. Liam just follows, a small part of him protesting that he shouldn't trust someone he just met so much, but most of him not caring, just enjoying.

"I didn't think you'd come," Zayn says, at the same second Liam says,

"I can't believe it was that easy."

"Did you think we'd have to break out?" Zayn asks, laughing.

"No. But I didn't think we'd be able to just walk right out either," Liam says, "Why didn't you think I'd come?"

"Have you ever skipped before?" Zayn asks, stopping walking when they reach a bus stop. Liam takes a moment to appreciate that it's clever to have walked to a bus stop that's several blocks away from school and not gone to one of several closer to campus.

"No," He admits.

"That's why," Zayn says, "How does it feel?"

"I'll let you know," Liam says. He's about to ask where they're going when a bus pulls up and Zayn motions for them to board, paying both their fares before Liam can tell him not to.

"I'm getting another tattoo," Zayn says once they're sitting.

"Today?" Liam asks.

"That's where we're going."

"Don't you have to be 18 for that?" Liam asks. Zayn grins.

"Louis forges me parental notes and this shop doesn't care," He says. Liam isn't sure what to ask first- how many tattoos Zayn already has or if his parents care or what else Louis writes notes for all come to mind. He doesn't ask any of them.

"Why me?" He asks instead.

"What?"

"Why didn't you bring Niall or Harry or Louis?" Liam asks.

"Because I wanted to bring you."

**

It's watching Zayn get a tattoo that it hits Liam that he might have a serious, serious problem here. He's staring at the skin on Zayn's arm, watching the lines appear and listening to the machine buzz and admiring how Zayn doesn't even wince when it hits him all at once that he really like the way Zayn's skin looks. That he really likes to look at Zayn's skin. And at Zayn's face. That he really likes spending time with Zayn. That he really likes Zayn.

"What do you think?" Zayn asks when it's done, and Liam can only ramble unintelligent things that come out like,

"Good. It's. I like it."

"Are you ok?" Zayn asks.

"Good," Liam says again, feeling awkward and stupid. Then Zayn is getting instructions on how to wash his tattoo and the angry red skin is getting covered with a temporary bandage and he's paying and then he's pulling Liam along to a coffee shop down the street.

This could be very bad.

**

He manages not to do anything for over a week. He gets through several more practices and car rides and English classes and another Friday night at Louis' and he even manages to put lotion on Zayn's tattoo for him a couple of times without dying. He tries his best not to let his feelings swallow him, tries not to dwell on them at all. But the by the next Thursday he feels like he's going out of his skin and he has to say something to someone.

Luckily, Thursdays are when he has lunch with Harry and Louis, so he spends all morning screwing up his courage to talk to them. That's what having lunch with friends is for, he's pretty sure.

Louis is in an extra good mood that day, humming as he sips his drink, and Liam takes that as a good sign.

"Can I talk to you guys about something?" Liam asks.

"Liam, you don't have to ask before you talk to us," Louis says, rolling his eyes in an affectionate sort of way, "you can just sit down and say anything that's on your mind."

"Right. I wanted to. I had a question," Liam says, part of him hoping that one of them somehow already knows what he's going to say will say it before he does. They both just look at him expectantly, though, so he keeps going, "About Zayn."

"Oh my God," Louis says. "Oh my God, this is fantastic."

"You don't know what he's going to ask," Harry puts in.

"Oh come on, we've all seen Zayn," Louis says, "Go on, Liam."

"Well. I just. What does 'open' mean?" Liam asks. Harry and Louis grin.

"It means, raise your hand if you remember that time Zayn dated that college guy with the ugly car for like, three weeks," Louis says, and he and Harry raise their hands.

"Now," Louis presses on, "raise your hand if you remember that awful girl he dated last summer." He and Harry raise their hands again.

"She wasn’t so bad," Harry says.

"She was awful," Louis say, "and now, raise your hand if Zayn has ever made out with you drunk." He and Harry both raise their hands again, Harry looking likes he feels a little bad about doing it. Liam tries to process that last one, reminding himself that he's still very, very new to this group.

"Louis," Harry says.

"What? We're all very close. So, do you love him?" Louis asks.

"I've only known him for like, two weeks," Liam says.

"That was not a 'no,'" Louis says, looking delighted.

Liam wonders if this is how talking to friends is supposed to go.

**

The Monday after that, Louis bounds into choir, announcing that he has the best news ever.  
"I got us the best gig ever!" He says.

"Are we getting paid for it?" Niall asks.

"There are more important things than money, Niall!" Louis says.

"That's a no," Zayn says.

"Guys! Listen!" Louis, and then he pulls out his phone, "I got this an e-mail back from my cousin's friend at the university and they want us to play at their big campus GSA rally!"

"What?" Niall asks.

"Gay Straight Alliance," Harry says.

"Oh," Niall says.

"Why is that the 'best gig ever'?" Zayn asks.

"Because it's perfect for us!" Louis says, "we have a thing going on here. We should capitalize on it."

"I'm not sure it's capitalizing if we're not making any money," Liam says.

"It's exposure, which is the same thing," Louis throws back.

"Yeah, but-" Liam starts, but Louis throws up his hands.

"Guys. Come on. How many bands of talented, hot guys who are basically a Gay Straight Alliance in and of themselves- well, a Gay and Niall Alliance, but whatever- do you really think there are? And this is a college party. This could be huge for us." Louis says.

No one really knows what to say to that, and Liam finds himself nodding and asking what day the gig is and wondering when exactly he went from being able to count the number of times he'd said he was gay aloud on one hand to being part of something like this.

**

"You okay?" Zayn asks a couple of days later. They're sitting on the bench outside Louis' garage, taking a break while Niall makes a drive-thru run.

"What do you mean?"

"With all of this. With Louis' grand plan to make us some sort of pride poster children," Zayn says.

"More than I thought I would be," Liam says, "Like, part of me thinks it's a terrible idea, and part of me kind of wants to throw up thinking about it. But then I think that maybe Louis' right."

"Yeah. He does that," Zayn says.

"It's probably a terrible idea, but then I think, why shouldn't we use something that should theoretically hold us back to move us forward? Why shouldn’t we take control?" Liam says.

"Look at you," Zayn says, grinning, "you've become some sort of school-skipping music god revolutionary."

"I'm hardly a revolution, or a music god," Liam says.

"You are so many more things than you know," Zayn says. Liam doesn't know what to say to that, so he doesn't say anything at all. One of the wonderful things about Zayn is that he doesn't make Liam feel like a failure if the conversation drops off. Their pauses in conversation always feel natural, like taking a breath.

**

Later that same night, he's putting lotion on Zayn's new tattoo for him, something that's become an end-of-practice ritual. Louis is shouting something about how they only have twelve days till the gig that will _change their life_ , but Liam doesn’t really hear him, because he's touching Zayn and Zayn's eyes are locked on his.

"Why doesn't it bother you?" Zayn asks, low enough that only Liam can hear him.

"Why doesn't what bother me?" Liam asks, running his fingers over lines that are still a little raised and red, lingering a little longer than he should.

"Me and my smoking," Zayn says, and it's completely random, so random that Liam says the first thing that pops into his head.

"Because it's you. And you smoke to breathe," Liam says. It's probably a lot more than he should have said, but it's already out and Zayn is still grinning at him, and he hasn't backed away from Liam's touch, so he figures maybe the boundaries are different when you're as close as he already is with all of them.

**

On the Friday that is one week, one week, Louis keeps reminding them, before their big GSA college gig, they're all on Louis' floor as usual, the remains of Chinese takeout spread out in front of them, and Louis is grinning that grin that had made Liam nervous on that first Friday night. He reaches behind the couch and pulls out some bags.

"I think, my friends, that since we have a big gig in one week, tonight should be a bonding night. We really need to welcome Liam properly," Louis says. Harry beams like Louis has just made the best suggestion anyone has ever made in the history of time.

"What do you mean, welcome me?" Liam asks.

"It's game night," Louis says, pulling vodka and rum and shot glasses out of the bags.

"I can't really, I mean, I don't drink. I can't drink a lot," Liam says, nervously. Louis just grins at him.

"Then you just have to follow the rules," He says, "and I swear to God, Zayn, if you yell at me I will kick you out of my basement. I'll be nice, I promise. It's just a simple game of truth or dare. Liam doesn't have to get drunk, he just has to play."

"Truth or Dare?" Niall asks skeptically.

"Yes. With Louis rules." Louis says.

"Which are?" Zayn asks.

"Well, if you don't take the truth or the dare, you have to take a shot. And if you don't answer truthfully or good enough, or if you don't perform your dare up to the standards of this basement, you have to drink," Louis explains.

"I only have one kidney," Liam says. They all just blink at him for a minute, and then Louis grins again,

"Then give good answers," He says, and his tone is the same one it had been before, joking and teasing, but his eyes catch Liam's and he adds, "or I'll have to make a Liam amendment to the rules. And I spent all fifth period thinking this up, so don't make me change it now, because I will if I have to."

He's only known Louis for going on a month now, but he's pretty sure that translates to, roughly, "you're my friend and I care about you and you know I'd never actually make you do anything you were uncomfortable with, right?" He kind of loves Louis for it, really. Enough that he hears himself saying,

"Ok. Let's do this."

**

A dozen or so rounds later, everyone other than Liam and Louis are pretty damn drunk. Louis, unsurprisingly, probably, tends to rule their answers wrong and dare performances unacceptable and make them do shots despite their protests that true answers or dares performed exactly as asked can't actually be wrong.

("But. I'm naked and I ran around the room. Like you said. How can that be wrong?" Harry had asked.

"You're naked all the time. I got bored. You should have added more flair. Now drink," Louis said.

"Asshole. You just see when the next time I get naked for you is," Harry'd said.

"Lies, Styles. Lies. You know I'm irresistible," Louis had returned. Harry had pouted and done his shot and then sat down, still naked, on Louis' lap. Louis had grinned and put one hand in Harry's hair and trailed the other down his back. Liam had thought he should probably be uncomfortable, or at least jealous of what they had, but instead he just kind of grinned at them- just like Niall and Zayn had, like watching them cuddle while Harry was naked was the most natural thing in the world.)

It's actually really, really fun, and true to his word Louis hasn't even pouted about Liam's lack of drinking, he hasn't even ruled any of his answers wrong, and Liam's grateful, although he supposes that eventually a 'Liam amendment' will have to be made. He feels like that's just how friendship with Louis works. There had been a moment where he had been equal parts thrilled and terrified that Louis was going to dare him to kiss Zayn, but then it had passed and he'd been asked a truth instead.

The game has pretty much deviated into random drunken ramblings, mostly by Zayn. Harry is signing, and Niall has actually passed out on the floor, and Louis looks endlessly pleased with himself, and god, Liam really likes having friends. He puts a pillow under Niall's head and combs his hair down, grinning as he does. Harry taps him on the on shoulder,

"Liam?" He slurs, still naked and very drunk.

"Harry?" Liam says.

"I'm really glad you're here. We needed a Liam," He says.

"Of course we did, that's why I found him for us," Louis says.

"He wasn't hiding," Zayn says, and Louis just grins broader. Harry half walks, half crawls back over to Louis and slumps down on top of him.

"He was a good find," Harry says, and then he leans up to Louis' ear and says, in what he must think is a whisper, "I love you."

"I love you too, my sexy drunken drummer," Louis says, kissing the top of Harry's head fondly. Liam watches them with a dumb grin on his face, just staring until he feels that hand on his shoulder. Zayn.

"Vas Happening?" Zayn slurs, collapsing on Liam in a way that is not far from how Harry had collapsed on Louis. Liam pretends not to notice. Or squirm.

"What?" He asks.

"That's my pickup line," Zayn says. "Is it working?"

"Flawlessly," Liam says. He doesn't bother to making that sound as joking as he should, he figures Zayn is too drunk to pick up on it anyway.

Eventually, Zayn and Harry fall asleep too, and then it's just Louis and Liam, leaning against chairs while boys sleep on their laps and Niall sleeps in the middle of all of them. Louis angles himself so that his free leg is sitting over the parts of Liam's legs that aren't covered by Zayn. Louis, Liam has discovered, just feels better when they are all touching as much as possible. Like he somehow thinks that no personal space is the answer to success. Liam has grown to enjoy it far too much to argue.

"Good night, Liam?" Louis asks in a whisper.

"Very," Liam says.

"Do you love him yet?" Louis asks.

"Probably," Liam admits. Louis beams at him.

"That's what I like to hear," Louis says.

"I thought for a second you might dare me to kiss him," Liam admits.

"Nah. I want it to be real for you guys when it happens."

"Would you give me a serious answer to something if I asked you?" Liam asks, grinning.

"Are you implying I'm not a very serious person?" Louis asks.

"Yep."

"I love that you're sassy now," Louis says, grinning, "and yes. Probably. Ask me."

"Would you tell me about how you and Harry got together, like, how you fell in love and all?" Liam asks. Louis grins at him and takes a small sip of the one drink he's been nursing all night while making everyone else but Liam do shots.

"Are you asking me for a romantic bedtime story?" He asks.

"I guess so."

"You're lucky I like to talk about myself," Louis says, "but okay. The story goes like this: Two and half years ago now, during the terrible winter of my sophomore year, I had to sit through the worst talent show ever. I was banned from it for reasons I don't want to get in to. So, I'm sitting there, just hating everyone, when this tiny little speck of a kid comes on a stage. This freshman with more hair than body weight, and he's got a drum kit and a microphone, and he just belts out this song while he's drumming. While he's drumming. It's the only decent thing in the whole fucking show, of course. So afterward I make it my mission to get to know him, and I find out his name is Harry, and this kid, at all of fourteen, not only knows he's gay, but hits on me before I even get the chance to tell him how much I like curly-haired drummers. So you know. I’m kind of instantly hooked, honestly. We pretended to be friends for like, a week, but we were making out by Valentine's Day. By the time he turned fifteen it was love forever. The year after that we found Niall and Zayn and did the band thing, which just made our romance more sweeping and epic, of course. Sex and Rock and Roll, not so much the drugs, unless you count Zayn's cigarettes, but still. Sweeping and epic. The stuff of legends. Romantic enough for you, Liam?" Louis finishes.

"Absolutely," Liam says. "That's even longer than I assumed you guys went back."

"Well, Harry was a very mature freshman, and maturity isn't my strong point, so it's always worked," Louis says.

"Thank you for the story," Liam says.

**

Louis is pacing, like, pacing the quickest circles back and forth that Liam has ever seen anyone pace. Their show starts in two hours, and even Louis is nervous. They've already been interviewed by the school newspaper and Louis had shouted that he'd be a freshman at this fine institution in the fall, taking campus by storm, and they'd all laughed, and it had been fun and them, but now they're all just bundles of nervous energy. There is a fair set up, with booths and things to do, but they've given up on that and are just staying in their little circle of the five of them.

Liam is having visions of those youtube videos he'd watched the first time he'd really met them all, thinking about what a first performance with his band this is. He's thinking about how this will probably be online, thinking about how the college newspaper is very definitely online, which means he's effectively just come out to the whole town and possibly the whole world. He tells himself that everyone that matters- his family and the people standing with him at this very moment- already know, but it's still a huge thought. He feels himself start to pace too, feels jittery and nervous- and then, like always, there it is. Zayn's hand. On his shoulder. He looks over at Zayn, who asks with his eyebrows if Liam wants to go get some air- or get slightly more private air, since they're already outside. He nods, and Zayn holds a cigarette up toward Harry, Louis, and Niall, who nod and don't even blink when Liam goes with him.

They lean against a wall, Zayn taking long drags on his cigarette, looking just as nervous as Liam feels.

"You okay?" Zayn asks. Liam is pretty sure that no one in his entire life has ever cared to check if he's okay so often.

"Nervous," He admits, "you okay?"

"Nervous," Zayn echoes, "about more than one thing."

Liam wonders if Zayn has been thinking like him, about the possible ways this could be huge for them, the possible ways that could be amazing, and the ways it could be the scariest thing ever. He guesses they've all probably been thinking like that- stage jitters combined with the step they're taking here.

"Yeah?" Liam asks. Zayn turns and looks at him, just stares at him for a long, long minute. Then he throws his half-finished cigarette down and stomps out and pulls a tiny bottle of lotion out of his jeans.

"I don't want to be itchy on stage," He says, offering both his arm and the bottle to Liam.

"Right," Liam says. He starts to run his fingers along the lines they've come to know, less red now, less raised as the days have gone on. Zayn catches his hand before Liam is even halfway done, and Liam's heart catches somewhere in his stomach.

"I don't sleep very well when I'm drunk," Zayn says. Liam's mind races back to the conversation he and Louis had a week ago and he winces and steels himself for disappointment, because how could it not end that way? He's Liam and Zayn is Zayn and he tells himself that it's best they talk about this right now. There is a part of him, though, a tiny part, but a shouting part, that is yelling with hope. So much hope Liam might actually burst from it.

"No?" He asks, swallowing, although not well.

"No," Zayn says. "I drift back awake a lot."

"Oh," Liam says, and God, normally he loves this, the thoughtful drawn out way that Zayn chooses his words when they're important, but right now he thinks it might be the death of him.

"I didn't know that you didn't know," Zayn says. Liam blinks at him and runs that sentence through in his brain. He doesn't arrive at anything, but he clutches Zayn's arm anyway, in spite of himself.

"That I didn't know what?" He asks. Under his hand, he can feel Zayn's pulse racing, and it makes his whole body respond, and that tiny hopeful part of him is just screaming now, as loud as it can, even as other parts of him are still prepared to hit the ground, hard.

"That I was waiting for you to be ready," Zayn says. Which. Liam is not sure it is even a little healthy for his heart to beating as hard as it is. It reassures him a little that Zayn's seems to be doing the same thing.

"What?" He asks, because the negative part of him is still saying he could be interpreting this all wrong, and ne needs Zayn to say it.

"I didn't want to rush you. The guy I met a month ago, the guy I'd always watched eat his heart-healthy lunch with people he didn't even talk to, the guy who I'd never really heard talk before, that guy didn't seem sure of anything. Himself, his sexuality, what he wanted, who he wanted. You'd never played your music for anyone, and you're so fucking good, Liam, you're so good. And here we are, and you've had this, like, life-changing journey or something, and I didn't want to be some asshole forcing himself on the kid on a journey or whatever, I just wanted-" Zayn stops, and looks at Liam for a long minute again, just looks at him. Then he turns so he's facing Liam and takes some steps forward so that there is no space between the wall, Liam, and Zayn. Liam drops the lotion he'd been holding and allows himself to pull a shaking hand up to Zayn's chest.

"You wanted?" He repeats. They're both breathing heavy, so close, so much.

"You, Liam. You," Zayn says, and then they're kissing and kissing and Zayn is pinning him to the wall and all that Liam can feel and think is Zayn. He runs his hands everywhere he can reach, and Zayn's hands are all over him too, sweeping spots and finding skin and Liam feels like he's being claimed. He feels like he's getting all he's ever wanted in his whole damn life. He didn't even know he could kiss someone the way he's kissing Zayn, that he even had that kind of thing in him, but here he is, sucking on Zayn's bottom lip until Zayn whimpers and running his hands under the tops of Zayn's jeans and lifting his hips so they hit Zayn's over and over.

And then, and then, and then, Zayn slots his leg in between Liam's and Liam is pretty sure he's actually going to die because nothing should be able to feel this good. It should actually be impossible and they're not even naked. They're fully clothed and making out and grinding against each other against this wall while the minutes before the show that could change their lives tick away, and Liam cannot think of a more perfect way for this corner to have turned.

**

They hold hands before they go on stage, hyping each other up and whispering and Louis is telling them that he believes in them, that he loves them, and not to let him down, all at once. Liam has decided, as he squeezes Harry's hand on his right and Zayn's on his left, that it doesn't matter what happens in the next hour. Zayn was right, he's been on some sort of journey in the past month, and here he is, with all these people that love him, with a Zayn and a Harry and a Niall and a Louis, and he wrote some of the songs they're going to sing, and they're taking this big step together, all of them. Liam thinks that if he can go from some kid who sang a little in the privacy of his room and wrote songs for no one and who rarely spoke to people, to a guy who is ready to take on the world with his boyfriend and best friends by his side- then any journey at all his possible.

He's ready. He squeezes Zayn's hand extra tight, and then the lights flicker and the GSA president says,

"Everybody, put your hands together for One Direction!"

And they step out into the applause and into the rest of their life.


End file.
